Music of Worldly and Spiritual Love from the Balkans, the Middle East, and Central Asia Ashek features vocal and instrumental music spanning several centuries and thousands of miles, united by a common theme: that of the longing for true love, whether physical or spiritual. The album's title derives from the ashiklar, a unique group of traveling Turkish bards who have existed for centuries. Associated with the Alevi tradition, whose beliefs blend Islamic and shamanic practices, their name means those who are "in love" with God, reflecting the notion of the soul's longing for the Beloved, the spiritual lover who is the Divine.